“Ed Asner steals the show,” Marek said of the actor arguably best known for his portrayal of Lou Grant on the long-running Mary Tyler Moore television show and the spinoff named for its protagonist.

“It’s a very small part,” he said. “He’s on at the beginning and the end.”

Marek shared insight into Asner’s personality.

“He has a grumpy demeanor on the outside,” Mr. Marek said. “But he’s a very warm and lovable guy.”

The show has received “really good” reviews, according to Marek. And after a dip in sales during the recent autumn storms, things have picked up again.

From left: Michael Shannon, Kate Arrington, Paul Rudd, and Ed Asner appear in Grace, the first Broadway play produced by Fairfield Theatre Co. founder Miles Marek. (photo by Joan Marcus)

Marek has seen the play three times himself and plans to go back one more time during the run.

“Each time I’ve seen it, I’ve noticed something different,” he said.

Up next, Marek just joined the producing team in a new one-woman play written by and starring Holland Taylor, who plays the mother on the television show Two and a Half Men. The play is titled Ann, and is based on the life and politics of former Texas Gov. Ann Richards.

From left: Kate Arrington, Paul Rudd, Michael Shannon

“I am very excited about this new project,” Marek said. “It appeals to me for many of the same reasons I got behind Grace. … the writing, the cast, and it is as entertaining as it is thought-provoking.”

Ann will start previews at the Vivian Beaumont Theatre at Lincoln Center in New York in February, and is set to open in March. Tickets are already on sale.